Street or other sign



(No Model.

S. NIGO-LAI.

STREET OR OTHER SIGN.

No. 503,489. Patented Aug. 15, 1893;

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SERVATIUS NICOLAI, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

STREET OR OTHER SIGN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 503,489, dated August 15, 1893. Application filed January 23, 1893. Serial No. 459,349. [No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SERVATIUS NICOLAI, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Street or other Signs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a sign so constructed as to be plainly visible either in daylight or in darkness after night; and my invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described and pointed out in the claim.

Figure I illustrates a front elevation of my improved sign. Fig. II is a rear elevation of the same. Fig. III is a transverse section, taken through the sign on line III-III, Fig. II. Fig. IV is a detail, enlarged section through the glass of the sign, and through one of the letters, illustrating the formation of the letters. Fig. V is a detail, perspective view, illustrating the securing holder for the sign glass and its rear protecting plate reversed.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the supporting frame, formed with a forwardly projecting portion 2, and a flange 3, within which the glass sign fits.

4 represents the glass sign, and 5 a rear protecting plate, said glass and plate being held together within the frame 1 by a holder 6 formed with flange lips 7, S and 9, within which lips the glass and plate are seated, and held in place.

()ne of the principal features of my invention consists in the formation of the glass sign, which I will now describe. I take a plate of glass, and by the application of a suitable acid, etch the letters inthe glass, thus forming recessed letters in the glass. I then apply to the parts of the letters illustrated by 10 in the drawings, a silver, gold, or other bright tint, that comes out strongly under light, and within the portion 10, indicated by 11,1 applya luminous paint that in darkness shines with a glow plainly visible. To the back of the glass I apply a suitable background, to bring out the letters in strong contrast. By the arrangement I have described, I form a sign which is readily seen in daylight by the parts of the letters which consist of silveror other bright tint, while after night, in the darkness, the parts of the letters filled in with luminous paint are readily seen, the whole forming a very attractive sign, either in daylight or in darkness.

To protect the sign from the influences of the atmosphere, I apply a coating of a suitable rubber paint over the letters of the sign, thereby preventing the usual deterioration common with luminous paint.

I claim as my invention A sign comprising a supporting frame 1, a projecting portion 2, and a flange 3, the glass 4, the projecting plate 5 and the holders 6; each holder having a lip 7 located between the flange and the glass, a lip 9 located between the glass and the plate, and a lip 8 retaining the plate against the lip 9; substantially as described.

SERVATIUS NICOLAI. In presence of- E. S. KNIGHT, ALBERT M. EBERSOLE. 

